The ASTRONEF, a revolutionary timepiece featuring two unique satellite tourbillons, has just added a new feat to its considerable list of awards. Having already picked up three prestigious global prizes, namely the A’Design Award (Gold Prize), the Middle East Watch of the Year (Best Tourbillon Watch) and the Muse Design Award (Platinum Award), the ASTRONEF has once again taking a well-deserved bow on the international stage.
The world-famous German Design Award recognised the ASTRONEF for its innovative concept and futuristic design. This remarkable timepiece received a special mention in the “Excellent Product Design” category (Luxury Goods) by a jury made up of eminent international experts in design. Among past prizewinners, one finds esteemed figures from the world of design such as Jasper Morrison and Konstantin Grcic.
This was the sixth German Design Award granted to a Louis Moinet creation and it attests to the brand’s continuing inventiveness and capacity for innovation in the field of watch design.
Animating a work of art
The ASTRONEF features two satellite tourbillons that revolve around the dial and create a harmonious ballet in the process. They are inside cages each rotating at a different rate, the one in ten minutes, the other in five. Every three minutes and twenty seconds, the two tourbillons align perfectly, which demands perfect synchronization and accuracy, the ASTRONEF’s superpower, as it were.
These tourbillons, with their delicate and crisp lines, barely weigh 0.25 grammes each. The counterweight is a real exploit in terms of design and engineering. It adds to the spectacle, creating a kind of intimate pas de trois, merging art, engineering, and motion, thanks to a central differential. Needless to say, it increases the watch’s precision.
The movement side of the ASTRONEF is just as impressive. The open case back reveals two barrel springs, one for each tourbillon. The LM 105 calibre, which includes sixteen ceramic ball bearings, runs this mechanical show. It took three intense years to make.
And there are other innovations. The crown, for instance, has been entirely reinvented and no longer needs to be pulled. Instead, a selector, cleverly integrated into the case back, is used to control two key functions, time-setting and winding.
The ASTRONEF’s designer home
The ASTRONEF boasts an ingenious case with delicately openworked lugs.
Its undercarriage is topped by a sapphire crystal container. The resulting case has a unique design, with a resolutely modern spirit. The two ASTRONEF editions redefine the watchmaker’s traditional codes and are, thus, harbingers of future watchmaking. These outstanding works of kinetic art offer a fascinating mechanical and visual experience.
The new ASTRONEF in grade 5 titanium
In addition to the original 18-carat red gold edition, ASTRONEF is now available in a long-awaited edition in grade 5 titanium, which is also limited to eight pieces. The tourbillon cages and the two counterweights are still in elegant red gold, creating a subtle contrast with the contemporary flair of the titanium.
